The Basic Plasma Science Facility

The Large Plasma Device (LAPD) is housed at UCLA and users a highly reproducible, magnetized plasma source. The plasma device is
operated round-the-clock providing research-grade plasmas at a 1 Hz repetition rate, and having a wide range of possible parameter choices under the user's control.

Generation of polarized shear Alfven waves

Isosurfaces of field aligned current from a shear Alfven wave launched using a specialized antenna allowing for arbitrary polarization
of the wave. The blue and red surfaces represent current densities of jz=0.5 A/cm^2.

Colliding laser plasma experiment

Three dimensional field lines taken from a volumetric data set in an experiment in which two laser produced plasmas collide.
Data was acquired at 30,000 locations in a 3D volume in the LAPD device. Shown are the magnetic fields due to Alfven wave currents.

UCLA Plasma Science and Technology Institute

Click this image to watch a six-minute video about the research being performed at the PSTI, which consists of affiliated laboratories and research
groups investigating fundamental questions related to the fourth state of matter known as plasma.

Plasmas colliding

A Projection of magnetic field lines onto the plane centered z=94.8 cm from the targets. The data were derived from vector magnetic field
measurements taken on five planes at distances ranging from 31.5 to 284.4 cm from the targets.

Shear Alfven wave

Current streamlines of a shear Alfven wave launched by a helical antenna. The wave magnetic field on a plane orthogonal to the background
magnetic field is shown to guide the eye.